The paper presents the results of heat treatment in three cases of anorexia nervosa (AN), in which marked overactivity and/or strenuous exercising were prominent clinical features. Heat was supplied in three ways: continuous exposure to a warm environment, wearing a thermal waistcoat, and sauna baths in an infrared cabin. The outcomes went far beyond what had been expected, as the disappearance of hyperactivity was followed by progressive recovery.

2.¬†Do people with anorexia nervosa use sauna baths? A reconsideration of heat-treatment in anorexia nervosa.

First recommended by W. Gull, heat-treatment may be relevant to hyperactivity, a significant clinical characteristic in AN. This treatment was developed as an extrapolation from animal research model, where a simple manipulation of ambient temperature (AT) was found to impede and reverse excessive running in food-restricted rats. Sauna use may have been unreported either because it impedes the development of the syndrome, or its benefits have been attributed to conventional treatments. The elucidation of sauna experience among AN patients may have potential implications for the role of heat in the treatment of AN.

3.¬†Heat makes a difference in activity-based anorexia:¬†a translational approach to treatment development
in anorexia nervosa.

Discussion:¬†The replication on female rats corroborates the effect previously reported for males, which is indicative of the robust effect of ambient temperature in recovering rats from activity-based anorexia.

The findings reported here represent strong preclinical evidence in favor of heat supply as a useful adjunctive component for the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN).

4.¬†Hyperactivity in anorexia nervosa: warming up not just¬†burning-off calories.

Excessive physical activity is a common feature in Anorexia Nervosa (AN) that interferes with the recovery process. Animal models have demonstrated that ambient temperature modulates physical activity in semi-starved animals. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of ambient temperature on physical activity in AN patients in the acute phase of the illness. Thirty-seven patients with AN wore an accelerometer to measure physical activity within the first week of contacting a specialized eating disorder center. Standardized measures of anxiety, depression and eating disorder psychopathology were assessed. Corresponding daily values for ambient temperature were obtained from local meteorological stations. Ambient temperature was negatively correlated with physical activity (p‚Ää=‚Ää-.405) and was the only variable that accounted for a significant portion of the variance in physical activity (p‚Ää=‚Ää.034). Consistent with recent research with an analogous animal model of the disorder, our findings suggest that ambient temperature is a critical factor contributing to the expression of excessive physical activity levels in AN.

Keeping patients warm may prove to be a beneficial treatment option for this symptom.